1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device, and more particularly, to an image display apparatus and method for driving the same that can highlight a predetermined region on the screen by self-analyzing image data.
2. Background of the Invention
Recently, more attention is being drawn to display devices for displaying various data or images than ever. In the past, cathode ray tubes (CRTs) were mostly used as display devices. However, flat panel display devices such as liquid crystal display (LCD) devices, organic light emitting diode (OLED) display devices, and the like are rapidly replacing CRTs. Display devices generally display images sent from an external device such as a computer.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an image display apparatus according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, the image display apparatus includes a computer 10 for outputting image data DATA10[R,G,B], an image data controller and a display device 30 for displaying images based on the image data DATA10[R,G,B]. The computer also outputs coordinate data DATA[X,Y] to highlight a sub-screen region 35 within the display device 30. To do this, the image data controller 20 modulates the image data DATA 10[R,G,B] to adjust a brightness of the image data corresponding to the sub-screen region 35 and outputs a brightness-adjusted image data DATA20[R,G,B]. The brightness of the sub-screen region 35 may be higher than the brightness of the other areas on the screen of the display device 30. Hereinafter, this is referred to as a spotlight function.
In order to implement the spotlight function, it is necessary to provide the display device 30 with a coordinate information of the sub-screen region 35. A user may directly provide the display device 30 with such a coordinate information via the computer 10, or the image data controller 20 may be used to provide the display device 30 with such a coordinate information. In such a case, an interface Integrated Circuit (IC) 21 receives the coordinate data DATA[X,Y] from the computer 10 to transfer them to an image data adjusting IC 22. The image adjusting IC 22 then outputs the image data DATA20[R,G,B] that is adjusted for the sub-screen region 35 and has an increased brightness.
As described above, the image display apparatus according to the related art needs a separate program installed in the computer 10 and a separate communication interface IC to provide the display device 30 with the coordinate data of the sub-screen region 35, thereby incurring an extra cost. In addition, performing the spotlight function increases the power consumption.